𝕰𝖑𝖊𝖓𝖆

Chapter Four: Welcome To Rivendell

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Legolas sat against a tree, his pale face illuminated by the dull flames of the fire. I reached my hand back, laying it over the tear in my shoulder. The pain had subsided so that it was only a weak pang. Legolas looked over at me, noting my worry.

"It isn't as bad as you think. It wasn't lodged very deep," he reassured me.

But that wasn't what was gnawing at me. I couldn't stop feeling the fear I'd felt in the heat of that moment. The adrenaline, the pressure, the aching, heavy, relentless fear. How did I ever think I could handle something like this? The real world outside of Aerith? It was stupid to ever think I was anything more than my kingdom.

"I never thanked you, for saving my life."

I looked up, and his gaze was still fixed on me.

"Thank you."

I didn't answer, and his stare never moved. We sat there in silence, the only sound was the crackling of the fire eating away at the wood.

"You're welcome," I said finally.

"Your voice," he spoke breathlessly, "You're a woman?"

"You weren't anticipating a woman under this hood, elf-boy?" I smirked, pulling off my hood and letting my long raven hair spill out over my shoulders.

"I can't say I was, no," he smiled, "And surely not a Fae, either." he said, taking note of the stars threading through my hair.

More silence. His gaze finally left me, and he stared into the fire, his distant blue eyes entranced by the quarreling flames.

"Can I ask your name?"

"Elena," I responded shortly.

"Elena Móretur? Aerith's Princess?" he asked, his gaze fixed right back on me.

"I am," I looked up at him, my grey eyes a burning black, almost challenging him to delve into the matter.

He obliged, dropping the matter and leaving me be. He shifted a bit, and I could tell he was restless or pondering over something. I decided to break the brittle silence that again surrounded us.

"Back home, I'd heard stories of you," he lifted his gaze to meet mine, and I continued "Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of the Woodland Realm. An invincible warrior. A perilous fighter. I never expected to find you a captive of a band of Uruk-Hai, even that many of them."

"Those elves—the ones they slaughtered—they were my friends. When they killed them..." he paused, and I didn't speak, urging him to continue, but he didn't.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for something you didn't cause," he spoke with composure, in spite of having gone through such an ordeal.

"Where were you going?" I opted to digress from the subject.

"To Rivendell," he hesitated momentarily, "You've heard of the creature, Gollum, who's being held in Mirkwood under my father's watch?"

I nodded.

"He has since escaped, and it is a matter with which I'm to discuss with Lord Elrond. We were going to cut through the mountains but we crossed paths with a large Uruk-Hai army, and were forced to travel around the Misty Mountains and through the gap of Rohan instead. That's when we were captured by another group of Uruk-Hai."

I inhaled sharply. What with all the roaming Uruk-Hai, it was by some fine stroke of luck that I hadn't run into one until today.

"And you? I assume you're headed to Rivendell too?" he asked.